Roulette Bets Explained

The Roulette table has a fancy array of numbers, blocks and words on it. It is usually the extraneous task of a beginner to find out what each different bet is called and what it means. The good news is that it is much simpler than you think and this guide will show you, table segment by segment, how Roulette bets are placed on the roulette wheel of fortune.

How Inside Bets Work in Roulette

Inside Bets are bets on individual numbers, but also incorporate groups of those numbers as they’re related to each other in the inside grid.

A Single Number bet can be placed on any number on the wheel, including 0 and 00. These bets pay out 35-1, meaning that if you put down $10 and you win, you’ll get $360 back.

Quite a tempting payout! Of course, you should remember that there are 38 numbers on the actual wheel (37 on a European wheel) and because the bet pays out 35-1, that extra slot or two is where the house derives its house edge. This bet is placed by putting your chips right on the number you’d like to wager on.

Other bets are made by placing your chips on the dividing lines between the numbers you’d like to bet on, as well as the end of the row or column you’d like to bet on. Let’s take a look at these ‘combination’ inside bets.

Split Bet

A Split bet is a wager on two numbers that are adjacent to one another in the inside grid. This bet pays out 17-1 and you can place this bet by putting your chips on the dividing line between the two adjacent numbers.

A Street bet is a bet on three numbers, which are arranged in a row on the inside grid. These three numbers can be bet upon by placing your chips on the line dividing the grid from the outside bets, at the base of the street you wish to bet on.

This bet pays out 11-1.

Corner Bet

Corner Bet

The Corner bet is a four-number bet, which is placed on the ‘corner’ or intersection of four adjacent numbers on the inside grid. The Corner bet pays out 8-1 – we can see now that as a wider range of numbers are bet on, the payout ratios become less because the broader bet gives you a better chance of winning. Of course, you can choose big payouts or frequent payouts, whatever floats your boat!

Five Number Bet

Five-Number

The Five-number bet can only be made on an American wheel, because it incorporates the 0 and 00. By placing your chips in the intersecting line between the 0-00 and 1-2-3, your money will be wagered on any of these numbers coming up. While it may be appealing to ‘bet with the house’, it’s noteworthy to add that this bet has the same house edge as all other Roulette bets (7.89%) because the payout ratio is 6-1.

Double Street Bet

Double Street

The Double Street is similar to the Street bet, but you’re betting on two streets at once. To place this bet, put your chips on the intersecting corner of the two streets and the inside-outside boundary line. This bet pays 5-1.

Outside Bets – How They Work On Online Roulette

Outside bets include such broad categories as Red and Black, or Odd and Even. While the payout rate of these bets may not be as glamorous as hitting the jackpot on a Single Number bet, they more than redeem themselves by their likelihood of winning.

Red Or Black Bet

Red or Black

You can bet on the colour of the number that will come up, namely Red or Black. Because there are 18 numbers on the wheel with each colour, which one you choose depends on your personal preference.

These bets pay out even money, 1-1. You may think this is a sweet deal, but remember that there are also two green numbers on the board, so there’s a slightly less than 50-50 chance that the ball will land on your chosen colour.

Odd Or Even Bet

Odd or Even

Odd or Even bets are just what they sound like: betting that the winning number will either be Odd (numbers like 1, 3, 5, that can’t be cleanly divisible by two) or Even (numbers like 2, 4, 6 that can be cut in half with no leftovers.)

These bets also pay 1-1 because there are 18 odd and 18 even numbers on the wheel. It’s interesting to note that because the numbers are arranged non-consecutively around the board, that you can’t match black with odd or red with even, so they are essentially different bets.

Through 18/19 Bet

Through 18/19

If you’d like to bet on a chunky slice of the board, try the 1 through 18 and 19 through 36 bets. These bets are simply consecutive-number bets that divide the 36 numbers on the board into two equal halves.

This bet also pays even money, 1-1, just again you’re betting on a different set of numbers.

Dozens Bet

Dozens

The dozens bets are three bets that you can place on the first, second or third group of 12 numbers on the board. These bets pay out 2-1.

Columns Bet

Columns

You can also bet on columns, which also pays out 2-1. You can see the grid of numbers on the table is arranged in three long columns, and these represent the group of numbers you’ll be betting on.

As you can see, the 0 and the 00 on the wheel create the house edge because the zeros are neither odd nor even, red nor black, and are not part of any division of the 36 numbers on the wheel. Thus, when the ball lands on 0 or 00, all Outside Bets lose.

En Prison

When you’re playing on a French wheel, however, you’ll have a ‘get out of jail free’ card – actually, it’s being *in* jail that saves you! The en prison rule states that when the ball lands on 0, all bets are frozen or ‘imprisoned’ until the next spin. Only if the ball lands on zero again do the outside bets and those not containing zero on the inside bets lose for good. It’s like a second chance to win, quite a cool quirk to consider when you’re choosing between an American and a European table to bet at.

Next time you look at a Roulette table, I’m confident that what you have read above will help you recognize the various sections of the table and the multitude of ways you can place your chips and win. Remember to listen intently to what people around you are saying and pay attention to what the croupier is doing. This will further assist you with decoding the game. Of course playing online is your safest bet at understanding the game without the pressure of the all-knowing crowd around you.

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